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Need help with vtf

Im about to order the dente vtf but have read so many things about taking care of them can any one help me?????
 
Use a soil mix of 50/50 peat/perlite. Set in a tray of distilled or rain water. Full sun is best, so if you can grow it outside you should. Other than that, keep the tray of water with a little bit of water in it at all times.

xvart.

edit: check this stickied thread.
 
what about growing it inside which i plan o n doing what do i do for lighting
 
You really should grow it outside in full sun if you can. Where do you live?
 
VFTs live in relatively open fields where the most of the shade they get is from a little grass. They really aren't appropriate plants for indoor culture; not only is it extremely hard to provide the amount of light they need without cooking them temperature-wise, it's also absolutely necessary that they have cold winters. I don't mean cold as in 'turn the thermostat up or put on another T-shirt.' I mean cold like highs in the 60s and lows in the 20s, for the entire winter. Really, you'll have a much better time with your plant if you try it outside. Start by growing it the way it likes - once you know how to do things the easy way, then you can get to experimenting with unfavorable conditions and such.
~Joe
 
As from my experience of growing VFTs in terrarium ... IF YOU CAN GROW THEM OUTSIDE....if you live in an area like the carolinas.....i.e., not canada ..then it would be like a SIN to NOT grow the VFT outside...you will be immediately rewarded with a VFT that will flourish. If you are still hellbent (Like I "need" to be) to grow them inside...then get ready to do a lot of looking around to get nice lighting. This is the worst part of the CP hobby...getting the lights. You are looking for the lights which rate 6500 K or daylight and full spectrum. Get atleast like a 23 watt bulb (CFL) if you need it for just one plant.....put the bulb in a lamp that is just 4-5 inches above the plant...then use a timer to keep it on for 16 hrs a day....water with rain or distilled or RO water and WAIT.....WAIT for atleast 3 months to see the VFT look like its recovering and starting to grow into a nice rosette.
 
You seem to like calling them VTFs, not VFTs, even in your username!!
 
I don't understand why people always want to grow their VTF's inside. Why do they always want to be so close to the VTF? Is it because the VTF has some magical power they are attracted to? Or are they just over anthropomorphizing the VTF?

When will people learn that the Venus Trap Fly should be grown outside if at all possible?
 
i live nj and i am scared the sun will killl it and wat about winter
 
  • #10
and would i take it in when it rans???
 
  • #11
Take it in when it rains? Why? It's a plant - it lives outside. These plants come from bogs and marshy grassland where they get rain all the time. It _needs_ rain. Some populations of flytraps even grow partially submerged in water during the rainiest parts of the season. And bright sun is exactly what all VFTs want. It's not a tropical from some dark, dank jungle somewhere; VFTs are temperate plants that grow in full sun year-round. The brighter, the better. I think you have some wrong impressions about the needs of VFTs; do some reading about where these guys come from and the conditions there. And try not to overthink this. It's a six dollar plant after all; if something goes wrong (which it won't) you can just go get a new one. If you hang out on the trading board here, you might even be able to get some free plants for just the cost of shipping. Trust me, there are hundreds of VFT growers here, many of them living in colder locales than yourself, and almost all of us grow them outside like convention says to do. Nobody deals with sudden deaths due to exposure - VFTs have lived in the elements for millions of years and I'm sure they've survived worse in their native habitat than most of us could ever throw at them. Really, they've even been naturalized in the NJ area, meaning that they survive in the wild without human assistance.
~Joe
 
  • #12
There you go dude. seedjar's completely right... Your rVFT if grown outside will be very very happy and will love rain water....so don't even bother thinking about takingit back inside and out....lol! that is sure to cause stress.

So basicaly get the plant, use a nice peat moss + perlite 50/50 mix.....put the plant in gently....don't pack the soil arond the plant......the biggest thing in my opinion is potting it properly.....It should be well potted...but the soil around it should be very loose so that air can go in to the roots.

Basically and thats it.....winters almost over and you can enjoy the VFT till next october. :)
 
  • #13
lol! we are mesmorized by the VFT!! :D
 
  • #14
thanks every one! but one last question what do i do for dormancy sice tempertures some tines go to the single digits
 
  • #15
Cover it. Single digit temperatures won't kill a VFT, but freezerburn (dehydration) and repeated freezing and thawing might. Cover the plant (with clear plastic) so it doesn't lose too much water to evaporation, and try to keep the pot protected from direct exposure to moving air. It's rapid changes in conditions that you really want to avoid in this situation, so people often bundle their plants together under one tarp so that they share their bodily heat, and then wrap a few tarps around the outside to give the outermost pots a little extra insulation. If you're still concerned, you can pile up some leaf mulch around your pots for even more insulation after covering them (make sure not to leave a bunch of mulch in the water tray, as that will slowly fertilize your plant and VFTs aren't fond of that.) The most drastic technique for this purpose is to dig a hole in the ground and place the pot in the hole (make provisions to allow water to drain out freely so that your plant doesn't get a bunch of nutrients via the soil) and then cover it with a tarp, so that the warmth of the earth keeps the roots from freezing hard. I suppose you could also get yourself an insulated cooler and just stick your pots in that - you could maybe use packing peanuts or foam rubber to fill in the gaps between the pots. Remember, though, that the most important part is to loosely cover the top of the plant to slow air movement, as VFTs take much better to freezing than they do drying out.
~Joe
 
  • #16
if it makes any one happy i decided to grow mine out side
 
  • #17
Yea when I first started I wanted to grow it in a 10 gallon fish tank inside under some weak lights next to my bed. Then I was told to move it outside after it was about to die. Then I moved the whole tank outside. Then I was told to take it out of the tank. I did all this and it started to grow again real nice. Then a chipmonk got it and then it did die. I'm still looking for that thing to this day.

But you are already moving in the right direction of growing it outside. Trust me though, once you get one they start adding up. I started with one and now I have about 20 VFTs, coulpe sundews and sarrs, a cephalotus, and a bunch of neps. I really kinda like the neps the most. You WILL get hooked!
 
  • #18
Yea when I first started I wanted to grow it in a 10 gallon fish tank inside under some weak lights next to my bed. Then I was told to move it outside after it was about to die. Then I moved the whole tank outside. Then I was told to take it out of the tank. I did all this and it started to grow again real nice. Then a chipmonk got it and then it did die. I'm still looking for that thing to this day.

See that's my biggest fear. I'm afraid that, since I'm gonna leave the VFTs in my patio area, a bird or chipmunk might harass it. Can I just put the vfts in a tray with distilled water then put the 10 gal over it with a little bit of opening for air to circulate? that shouldnt dry the plants too much right?
 
  • #19
Can I just put the vfts in a tray with distilled water then put the 10 gal over it with a little bit of opening for air to circulate? that shouldnt dry the plants too much right?
You can do it if you wan to roast the VFT.:-O

On a sunny day the heat from the sun will get trapped inside the terrarium because of the glass, making temperatures get really high. It’s similar to happens to the inside of your car when you leave it parked under the sun. This will definitely dry out the plant and kill it.

I used to worry about the critters in my backyard picking on my VFT’s… So I made a large cage out of chicken wire and wood planks as Presto suggested. Ever since then, no disturbances and the plants are doing just fine…

Check this out: http://terraforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=105543
 
  • #20
Yea even if you have the top of the tank open it will still fry them from the heat. That's why I took it out and planted it into a pot. The thing is it might happen but then it might not. Last year nothing happened to any of my plants. I think that one of the owls around my house got that chipmonk.
 
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